Saugerties rocked by storm, 70,000+ lose power

By Ben Nandy
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May 15, 2018 @11:24 PM

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Just after Saugerties took a 15-minute beating by a line of severe weather, Joe Martin dropped by the Cantine Memorial Complex to check on the field that was recently dedicated to him for his service as a youth baseball coach.

Martin-Speirs Field turned out just fine, but the rest of the complex looked like a war zone on Tuesday afternoon.

"I came down because I was born in Saugerties, and I wanted to make everything was alright," Martin said.

When asked if it looked like everything was indeed all right, Martin paused.

"Ah, you know," he said. "Things will get better."

Town of Saugerties Superintendent of Parks and Buildings Greg Chorvas said the complex sustained at least $15,000 in damage from the storm. He -- and many others in town -- was wondering exactly what kind of storm it was.

"There might have been some rotating winds," Chorvas said. "We've got a lot of cleanup to do, but we'll move forward."

As it was getting dark on Tuesday, more than 70,000 Central Hudson customers were still without power, according to the utility provider's outage map.

Town of Saugerties Supervisor Fred Costello said that despite the damage and the outages, he is relieved.

"The good news is that there hasn't been any injuries that we know of, and the response is excellent," he said. "When you see those things work, it's comforting to know that they [utility workers and city employees] are there, and they can be effective. Hopefully, we don't need them in any more serious situations."

There was a serious situation on Elm Street, when a tree smashed into a two-story home. A little girl inside at the time emerged without a scratch.

"I was sitting in my room on my phone on my bed," Abby Hopf, a 10-year-old, told Spectrum News afterward. "... Then I just heard a big crash, and the whole house shook."

When asked what her safety plan would be the next time a powerful storm rolls through her neighborhood, Hopf said she would probably "go to the basement."